Lily Evans POV
The coffee cup slipped from Lily's hands, falling to the floor and sending hot liquid everywhere. Emma jumped back with a startled cry as the ceramic pieces scattered across the café floor.
"Mommy!" Emma grabbed Lily's arm, her little face scared.
Lily's heart hammered in her chest as she stared at the person who had just walked through the door. Victoria Stone stood there in perfect makeup and expensive clothes, but something was different about her face. She looked... tired. Sad, even.
"I'm so sorry," Lily whispered to the café owner, dropping to her knees to pick up the broken bits. Her hands shook as she gathered the sharp pieces.
Victoria walked over slowly, her high heels clicking on the wooden floor. "Let me help," she said quietly, kneeling down beside Lily.
"You don't have to—" Lily started, but Victoria was already picking up pieces of the broken cup.
"Yes, I do," Victoria said. Her voice was softer than Lily had ever heard it. "I need to help clean up messes. It's about time I started."
Emma hid behind Lily's legs, looking out at Victoria with curious eyes. Victoria noticed and smiled gently at the little girl.
"Hi, Emma. I'm Victoria. I know your daddy."
Emma's eyes got big. "You know my daddy? The one who taught me to skate?"
"Not Ethan, sweetie," Lily said quickly, her cheeks getting hot. "She means... Dominic."
Victoria's smile got a little sad. "Yes, I know Dominic very well. We're married."
The café owner brought over a broom and dustpan. "Don't worry about it, ladies. Accidents happen."
Once they finished cleaning up, Victoria looked at Lily with serious eyes. "Can we talk? Just for a few minutes?"
Lily wanted to say no. She wanted to grab Emma and run out of there as fast as she could. But something in Victoria's voice made her stay.
"Emma, can you go color at that table over there?" Lily pointed to a small table with crayons and coloring books.
Emma nodded and skipped away, happy to have something fun to do.
Victoria sat down across from Lily at a corner table. For a moment, neither of them said anything. The coffee shop was quiet except for Emma humming while she colored and the soft Christmas music playing overhead.
"I know you hate me," Victoria said finally.
"I don't hate you," Lily answered, even though part of her wondered if that was true.
"You should," Victoria said with a bitter laugh. "I married your mate."
"He's not my mate," Lily said quickly. "Ethan is—"
"I know about Ethan," Victoria interrupted. "The whole pack is talking about it. True mates." She said the words like they hurt her mouth. "Do you know how lucky you are?"
Lily frowned. "Lucky? My life has been turned upside down. I had to come back to a town that never wanted me, and now there's all this drama about Emma and—"
"At least someone wants you for real," Victoria said, her voice breaking slightly. "At least when Ethan looks at you, he sees you. Not just what you can do for him."
Something in Victoria's tone made Lily really look at her for the first time. The other woman's perfect makeup couldn't hide the sadness in her eyes.
"Victoria, what's going on?"
Victoria took a shaky breath. "I need to tell you something. About Dominic. About why he married me instead of staying with you."
Lily's stomach twisted. "I don't think I want to hear this."
"You have to," Victoria said quickly. "Because everyone's been lying to you, and it's not fair."
Lily glanced over at Emma, who was still happily coloring a picture of a Christmas tree. "Okay. Tell me."
Victoria looked down at her hands. "Dominic didn't choose to marry me, Lily. He was forced to."
"What do you mean forced?"
"When we were kids, our parents made a deal. A deal. If Dominic became Alpha, he had to marry me to join our two packs together. It was meant to prevent a war."
Lily felt like someone had punched her in the stomach. "That's... that's crazy. This isn't the old days. People don't arrange marriages anymore."
"Werewolf packs do," Victoria said sadly. "Especially when there's a lot of money and area involved. My father threatened to take half the land and start his own pack if Dominic didn't respect the agreement."
"But Dominic could have fought that. He's the Alpha."
Victoria shook her head. "Not when he first became Alpha. He was young and the pack elders supported the marriage. They said it would make us stronger."
Lily tried to process this information. "So when I told him I was pregnant..."
"He was already trapped," Victoria finished. "The wedding was planned, the invitations were sent, and both packs were expecting it to happen. If he had backed out, it could have meant war."
"He could have told me that," Lily said, anger rising in her voice.
"Could he?" Victoria asked. "You were hurt and angry. You didn't give him much chance to explain before you left town."
Lily wanted to argue, but deep down she knew Victoria was right. She had been so hurt and embarrassed that she'd run away without listening to anything Dominic had to say.
"Why are you telling me this?" Lily asked.
Victoria was quiet for a long moment. "Because I've been married to him for five years, and he's never looked at me the way he looked at you at that party. Not once."
"Victoria—"
"He built a nursery, Lily. In our house. A room for a baby that he hoped would come home someday. He never stopped looking for you and Emma."
Tears stung Lily's eyes. "That doesn't change anything. I'm with Ethan now. We're true mates."
"I know," Victoria said. "And I'm happy for you. Really. Because at least one of us gets to be with someone who actually loves them."
Before Lily could reply, Victoria's phone buzzed. She looked at it and her face went white.
"What is it?" Lily asked.
Victoria stood up quickly, her chair scraping against the floor. "I have to go. Right now."
"Victoria, what's wrong?"
"It's Dominic," Victoria said, her voice full of panic. "He's done something terrible. Something that's going to change everything."
She grabbed her purse and headed for the door, then stopped and turned back to Lily.
"Whatever happens next, remember what I told you. He never stopped loving you. And now..." She swallowed hard. "Now he's about to prove it in the worst possible way."
Victoria rushed out of the café, leaving Lily sitting there with her heart pounding and a million questions racing through her mind.
Emma came running over with her coloring page. "Mommy, look! I made a picture of our family!"
Lily looked down at the drawing. Emma had drawn four people holding hands under a Christmas tree. But in the child's innocent picture, one of the figures was much bigger than the others and had angry red scribbles around it.
"Who's that one, baby?" Lily asked, pointing to the angry figure.
"That's the scary man who wants to take me away," Emma said matter-of-factly. "The one you and Ethan are afraid of."
Lily's blood turned to ice. "What scary man, Emma?"
But before Emma could answer, Lily's phone rang. Ethan's name showed on the screen.
"Lily, thank God," Ethan's voice was tight with fear. "Where are you? You need to get Emma and get somewhere safe. Now."
"Ethan, what's happening?" "Dominic just filed papers with the pack council. He's claiming Emma as his heir and demanding immediate custody. The cops are coming to get her."
Through the café window, Lily saw three black cars pulling up outside.